Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Datong and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $709 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Datong
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Datong Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Datong

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Datong and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Datong and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $709 per month in Datong vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Datong $709
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,127 per month in Datong vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Datong $1,127
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,545 per month in Datong vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Datong $1,545
Chiang Mai $1,979

Datong is about 24% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Datong and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Datong 48% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.23

$2.24 ฿75.7

22.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.65 ¥144

$19.00 ฿642

13.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.15

$5.55 ฿188

-10.27%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥19.65

$1.67 ฿56.6

76.65%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.64 ฿21.56

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.77

$0.31 ฿10.32

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.88

$2.36 ฿79.6

-62.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥13.50

$3.66 ฿124

-44.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.99

$1.95 ฿65.8

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.28

$1.44 ฿48.51

7.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.36

$1.33 ฿45.07

-27.82%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.71

$2.28 ฿77.1

-29.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 ¥87.1

$16.45 ฿556

-20.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 ¥21.48

$2.78 ฿94.0

16.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.1

$9.31 ฿314

8.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.01

$2.35 ฿79.5

-22.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.01

$0.97 ฿32.82

23.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥9.98

$1.60 ฿53.9

-6.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.57

$1.50 ฿50.7

-24.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.28 ฿43.15

-42.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.10 ฿37.22

-16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.70

$0.71 ฿23.84

-21.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.42

$0.49 ฿16.38

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 ¥20.62

$4.14 ฿140

-25.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.40 ¥69.2

$17.52 ฿592

-40.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.05

$1.61 ฿54.5

-52.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.91

$2.78 ฿94.0

-41.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.77

$0.87 ฿29.33

-68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.53 ¥110

$54.1 ฿1,827

-69.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ¥9.35

$1.16 ฿39.08

21.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.53 ฿17.82

-33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.70 ¥44.57

$2.42 ฿81.8

176.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.80

$1.45 ฿48.93

-19.31%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-7.83%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.2K ¥114.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-36.31%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$45.68 ¥304

$62.2 ฿2,100

-26.52%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.63 ¥64.1

$12.17 ฿411

-20.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.68 ¥77.8

$20.12 ฿680

-41.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 ¥274

$37.31 ฿1,260

10.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.73 ¥91.4

$3.77 ฿127

264.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.87 ¥39.05

$6.49 ฿219

-9.55%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$337 ¥2,242

$736 ฿24.9K

-54.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ¥113.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

15.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.28 ¥288

$53.4 ฿1,802

-18.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.52 ¥203

$24.64 ฿832

23.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 ¥480

$91.5 ฿3,089

-21.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 ¥484

$71.9 ฿2,429

1.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ¥1,821

$482 ฿16.3K

-43.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,257

$309 ฿10.4K

-38.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,955

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-40.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,383

$633 ฿21.4K

-43.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,019 ¥20.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

27.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 ¥13.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

27.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

5.57

-30.16%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Datong: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Datong

$198 27.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.6% $37

Accommodation & Living

Datong

$189 26.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 63.6% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Datong

$98 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10.4% $10

Eating Out

Datong

$84 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 7.3% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Datong

$67 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Datong

$53 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 5% $2.7

Getting Around

Datong

$21 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 195% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Datong versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Datong versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Datong vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Datong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Datong

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

1 h behind Datong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,318,057

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Datong Chiang Mai 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Datong
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Datong vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Datong, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,064 per month in Datong and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Datong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $337 per month in Datong and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Datong, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Datong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Datong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.